1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a tray for carrying at least one flask, especially in the field of laboratory medicine, and to a flask adapted to cooperate with said tray.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to arrange a plurality of flasks on a tray and to insert the tray into a machine for carrying out filling or sampling of the contents of the flasks. The flasks are held on the tray, which moves beneath the machine or above which a machine comprising filling or sampling means moves.
Such machines are used more particularly in the biological field and more particularly in the field of laboratory medicine. Precise positioning of the flasks must be ensured so that the filling or sampling means of the machine are correctly located opposite a flask during those operations. In addition, the flasks must be held firmly on the tray in order to prevent them from moving and changing position or from falling over.
Such positioning and holding are more particularly important for some types of flask. In the field of preparation of laboratory medicine, flasks are known which are closed by a cap which has a pierceable and self-sealing portion for the passage of a suction pipette provided on the machine. Such a flask is described, for example, in document WO-2006/058989. In the case of such a flask, it is necessary to prevent the pipette from moving the flask on the tray as it passes through the pierceable portion and, more particularly, to prevent the pipette from lifting the flask as it is withdrawn.
On some flasks, means of identifying the flask which can be read remotely, for example by means of a camera, a CCD sensor, etc., are also provided. The identification means, such as a bar code, of all the flasks must then be oriented in the same direction in order to permit reading. Precise positioning of the flasks on the tray is therefore of the utmost importance.
It is estimated that the flasks must be positioned to within one tenth of a millimeter in the longitudinal and transverse directions of the tray in order for the machine to operate correctly.